I think that the original poster has long since been scared off. As others have stated, there is no economy in owning a luxury car for 200,000 miles. The reward is in the pleasure that we have driving these fine machines.

I agree with you 100%

It might be this comment that sums it all up. I've never owned or driven a MB before, but IMO the 1st gen W212 is a beautifully designed vehicle. I know my harping about reliability might sound a bit droaning (I can just imagine how many readers left this thread with rolling eyes). But I've never understood why the Germans can't build a car with similar reliability to that of say a Lexus. I know we're talking different cars with a different driving feel (understood from prior comments only), but why is it that Toyota can build a GS350 at (can we agree is at a) similar price point as that of a E Class and it has better reliability?

I didn't come here to bash MB. If you glance over at the Lexus forums they all but denigrate anything coming out of Germany for it's lack of reliability, but they neglect to admit that Japanese cars do have their own issues. What I'm looking for is a decompression chamber, a car that removes me from the outside world but engages me in its drive and performance. My hope is that the W212 is that car. My '97 Acura 3.0CL did that for me, but then Honda went to an electrionically controlled transmission and lost a huge portion of their good reputation (yes, Japanese brands do suffer their own issues). Honda makes one of the worst tranny / 6 cylinder combos on the market.

I'm still on the fence of whether to go Bluetec or not. The idea of swapping run-flats for conventional tires doesn't concern me (that's what AAA is for). Unfortunately what I've come to learn about biodiesel and how it appears to slowly be taking over the Midwest is very concerning.

Regarding my comment of only spending $500-$800/ year in repairs - that may very well be correct if one chooses to look at the math differently. Say one buys a 2011 CPO car with 20k miles on it. My understanding is that CPO w/ additional extended warrantly option gets the owner to a total of seven years (from initial in-service date), or 135k total miles. Assuming 12k miles a year, that could mean that the owner wouldn't get hit with repair costs above regular maintennance until say 2018. If you saved $800/year away for future repairs, you've now got $4,000 stashed for that first set of repairs (again, I mean repairs, not maintennance like WP, seals, suspension, etc). That to me isn't a horrible situation to be in.

Anyways, I very much appreciate all of the comments and PMs. I'm not here to criticize, only to learn. Hopefully what I've read in the automotive media about the W212 being the closest thing to the W124 in some time proves true. Now, if someone could kick the Illinois state legislature upside the head and rid us of biodiesel for all but commercial use, I'll be all set.....

Not a w212 owner, but I was browsing through here and read through this thread, and I thought I'd mention my thoughts. In my family there are currently two benzes over 100k miles on the m112 engine and both are running great. As previously mentioned, I think the drivetrains in these cars are the least of people's worries. Properly maintained, the engines and transmissions are essentially bulletproof, which should also be the case for later model w212 sedans, by which point issues in the early m272 engines with balance shaft failures and other problems had been worked out, as had issues with early 722.9 transmissions.

The main issue I've come across as far as reliability is concerned is peripherals and various accessories, which is to say that the many electronics and small motors and what not will start failing long before the engine starts giving any problems, and that is typically where large repair bills are eaten up, troubleshooting and repairing these other things not related to the engine. Now, I don't know what these would specifically be on a w212, (nor would most I'm assuming, due to the chassis still being relatively new) but I think that if you were to get one with the m272 v6 and properly maintained the drivetrain to the specifications in the manual then you *should* expect a long life out of it.

I can't speak for the diesels, but I see many 15+ year old MBs on the road. I have a 16 year old W140 (S320 LWB) and no engine or transmission problems to date. Recent repairs have included power rear view mirrors and vacuum door and trunk closers, which the W212 wouldn't have.

It sounds as though you have a good plan for extended warranty. You should drive one and experience what you've been missing!

And the Mercedes body integrity is without equal, even with New England winters. I would not accept a rusted car. BMWs do not have the longevity of a Mercedes. I've had four of them so know from personal experience. It is rare to see a 15 year old BMW on the road.